Preston Said to Say Hi
by Mako1
Summary: Kid Flash learns that an old friend of his from Manchester is seriously ill.  Dedicated to the memory of my dear friend Caer who left this world far too soon.


A/N: Dedicated to the memory of my dear friend Caer, who left this world far too soon.

The weather outside was atrocious. A fact Bart Allen would remember for the rest of his life whenever he thought of his friend Preston Lindsay. He'd been playing classic video games online when his email alert told him that he had a new message. Bart saw that it was from Carol and smiled as he opened it. He noticed that she had also sent it to a lot of his other friends he knew from Manchester as well. Bart swallowed audibly when he read the email and realised why Carol had sent it to so many people he knew. Carol had written to inform them that Preston was in hospital with lymphoma in his thyroid and that she had taken it upon herself to inform their friends. Blinking back tears, Bart raced through the summer rain from Keystone City to the small hamlet of Manchester, Alabama in just under four seconds. He came to a halt in front of Carol's house and knocked on the door. Carol Bucklin opened it and threw her arms around Bart's neck as he reached out to her. Carol ushered him inside and told Bart all she knew about their friend. Finding out where Preston was being treated, Bart thanked Carol and asked that she keep him updated. Carol promised to as she followed him to the door and watched him disappear in a blink of an eye towards the hospital.

Tom Lindsay felt his jaw drop a little when he saw Bart enter the hospital. He'd been in the main lobby talking to a colleague from work, when Bart walked in and spied him.

"I was in the area and I heard," Bart replied as Tom worked his mouth to say anything. "Is it okay for me to visit Preston?"

"Yeah sure," Tom answered, leading Bart to the ward where Preston was.

Bart had to put on medical scrubs to protect Preston from any germs he may have been host to before being allowed to briefly visit with his friend. Bart could barely recognise Preston in the bed. Most of his hair had fallen out from the chemotherapy and he was gaunt and deathly pale looking. An angry red colour spread out from under the bandages around Preston's throat, where Bart figured there was a healing incision. He watched as Preston's eyes fluttered open and he managed a smile.

'Can you lip read?' Preston mouthed and Bart nodded.

"I can lip read with the best of them," he murmured as a small smile graced his lips. Not that Preston could see it behind the surgical mask Bart was required to wear.

'Cool, I don't have the energy to write all this down right now,' Preston mouthed. 'How did you find out?'

"Carol emailed me."

'And you ran all the way here from…?'

"Keystone City," Bart replied. "Took a little longer than I'd have liked, the weather sucks." Bart watched as Preston's eyes drifted towards the window before refocusing on him. "I told your dad I was in the area and he let me come up here to say hi," he added.

'Doubt telling him that you're really Kid Flash is a good idea, huh?' Preston smirked.

"I'd think so," Bart laughed. "I can just see how that one would go over," he added with a shudder. Preston's eyes crinkled in amusement and Bart winked at him. Glancing behind him to make sure that they were alone, Bart turned back to face Preston, his tone taking on a more serious note. "If I can beat dying…through sheer dumb luck no less…you can definitely beat this. I need you to dude."

'I'll do my best,' Preston promised.

"You'd better," Bart said. "I'll make it worth your while," he added after a second. "Kick this in the ass and I'll take you to San Francisco. You can meet the rest of the Titans," he promised with a waggle of his eyebrows.

'Arrange it so that Aquagirl is in nothing but a bikini and I'll make damn sure I beat this crap,' Preston grinned weakly.

"Done!" Bart reached for Preston's hand and gave it a squeeze. A knock on the glass told them that Bart's time was up. He waved a hand to say that he'd be out in a minute. "Just get better. Carol's gonna keep me updated."

'Hold up your end of the bargain and I will,' Preston mouthed. Bart chuckled and turned to leave the room. He glanced back at Preston before leaving and saw that his friend had already fallen back to sleep.

Outside the ward he thanked Preston's father for allowing him to visit and said that Carol would keep him apprised of what was going on. Tom told Bart that he was glad he'd come and added that he felt that Bart's visit was a million times more effective than any medicine. "All we can do now is pray that God gives him the strength to fight this," Tom added when Bart asked if there was anything he could do to help.

Bart Allen was not the religious type, but he could hope for the best, he thought as he raced back to Keystone City. He could see one of the shopping centres on the outskirts of the city and realised that he would need a focusing point for that hope. Bart entered the craft store and headed for the jewellery making section, where he remembered seeing supplies for a charm bracelet. He'd come to the store once before with Joan Garrick and remembered wandering around while she was looking for ribbon elsewhere in the store. He went straight for the display of charms in silver and picked out ones that reminded him of Preston.

"What are you doing Sweetie?" Iris Allen asked her grandson later that evening when she came in and saw him working at the kitchen table.

"Making a charm bracelet," he replied as he carefully attached one of the charms.

"Going to go for it with that Aquagirl, huh?" she teased and instantly regretted it when she saw his face fall. "Sweetheart what's wrong?" Iris asked as she came over to hug Bart.

"It's for my friend Preston," Bart explained. He told Iris of the email he'd received and that he'd been to visit Preston in the hospital. "I don't know how to pray," he confessed as he wrapped up his story. "I do know how to hope for the best though, and this is going to help me," he added holding up the nearly finished charm bracelet.

"Not everyone feels or takes comfort in prayer Bart, there's no shame in that," Iris told him as he looked at the incomplete bracelet. "Sometimes sending good thoughts and hoping for the best is how people cope with these things."

"Thanks Grandma," he murmured. He picked up the last charm and carefully attached it.

Several months passed and Bart was relieved to hear that Preston's cancer appeared to be in remission. It was a week before Halloween and he was at the mall with Iris when his mobile went off. Glancing at the caller ID, he excused himself and answered the call. Iris watched as Bart's face fell and she heard his end of the conversation.

"Okay thanks Carol…keep me updated yeah?" Bart murmured. "I'll talk to you later," he added before finishing the call.

"Sweetheart?" Iris asked hugging Bart from behind.

"Preston's cancer came back…this time in his brain," he replied numbly. Everything he'd ever read about lymphoma came screaming to the forefront of his mind and it was all pointing to a grim reality. Preston's chances were very slim, at best.

"Come on, let's get you home," Iris said, leading Bart out of the store.

He'd remained silent the whole time and it wasn't until he was seated on the couch, looking at the charms dangling from his wrist that he spoke up. "Why does stuff like this happen to good people?"

Iris knew that the question was rhetorical but she felt compelled to answer as best she could. "That's the way life works sometimes, Sweetheart. And no it isn't always fair either." Bart just chewed his lip as he fiddled with one of the charms.

A month later and it was just after midnight at Titans Tower in the San Francisco Bay. Lorena Marquez couldn't sleep. She decided to pester whoever was on monitor duty. Glancing in she saw that Kid Flash had drawn monitor duty and she reconsidered for a moment. He'd been moody of late and no one could find out why. Glancing back at him she spied the flash of silver from what looked like a charm bracelet on his right wrist. She smirked, she had an idea.

"Boys don't usually wear charm bracelets," Lorena remarked as she came into the darkened monitor room. Bart looked over his shoulder at her and shrugged.

"It's for a friend," he replied, shaking his wrist to move the bracelet up his arm a little.

Sensing the melancholy that came off of him like a storm wave, Lorena took a seat next to him. "Mind telling me about it?" she offered. Bart considered her offer for a moment and sighed.

"My friend, Preston…back in Alabama," he said. Lorena waited as Bart considered how to continue. "He was diagnosed with lymphoma earlier this year and they thought that it had been beaten. Then last month when he went in for a check up, the doctors found that it had moved into his brain," Bart blinked back the tears as he remembered the phone call from Carol. It had been storming outside the mall, Bart recalled, just as it had been back in the summer when Bart first learned that Preston was sick.

"I'm so sorry," Lorena offered as she reached over and hugged him. "Is there anything they can do?"

Bart explained to her that the doctors had been doing everything and then some to cure his friend's cancer. He explained how Carol was updating everyone on a daily basis through emails on Preston's condition and that the charm bracelet Bart wore was his way of maintaining hope.

"The charms are things that just scream 'Preston' and they make me smile," he told her.

Lorena laid her head on Bart's shoulder as he explained each charm and the memory associated with it. He was fingering the tiny silver movie camera and telling her about the swamp creature Preston had hoped to catch on film when an alert chimed from the monitors. Bart swallowed as he reached over to open the email program that he had minimised on the screen. Lorena read the first sentence of the new email and slid into Bart's lap as he broke down. She cradled his head to her chest and whispered words of comfort as Bart wept.

_Re: Preston_

_It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you all that Preston is gone. He went peacefully in his sleep at around 4:30 this morning. I'll email you with more when I find out about funeral arrangements._

_-Carol_

'Gone before dawn,' kept repeating itself in her head as Lorena read the email over and over as she comforted Bart the best she could. By dawn in San Francisco the rest of the team finally learned what had been eating at Bart for the last several months and they had offered their condolences. Lorena had stayed up with him all night as he came to terms with the loss of his friend. With the others up and aware of what was going on, she excused herself and dived into the Bay.

"Why didn't you say anything to us Bart?" Cassie asked.

"We deal with enough shit and I didn't want to add to it," he replied dejectedly.

"Bart?"

"Please," he pleaded. "I just want to be alone for a while," he said as he walked outside.

Lorena hadn't felt too guilty, seeing as the oyster was appreciated by the sea otter hanging around her when she harvested it for its pearl. Returning to Titan's Island in the Bay, she found Bart hugging his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them…staring out at the water as if to find the answers to everything.

"There's an old Atlantean saying that states, a pearl is a manifestation of the soul that you can carry with you" she said as she handed him the pearl.

"There's also a saying that says, the pearl is the oyster's autobiography," he murmured, before thanking her for her gift.

Lorena bent down and kissed the top of his head before leaving Bart to his thoughts. Bart twirled the pearl around in his fingers and discovered that it was slightly malformed. He frowned when he thought of how fitting it was. No one was perfect, and Preston had been a better example than most. Bitter tears stung his eyes and it was only then that Lorena's gift seemed right. Bart blinked the tears out of his eyes and sure enough, the pearl had a faint yellow colour to it. The colour reminded Bart of Preston's hair before it had fallen out and he smiled softly. Bart rose to his feet and headed back for the tower.

Lorena had finally succumbed to exhaustion and had spent a good portion of the day asleep. Later that evening at dinner, she saw that Bart had fashioned the pearl into a charm that he'd added to the bracelet. Afterwards, she followed him to the roof and sat with him in silence as they gazed out at the city lights.

"Carol emailed earlier," Bart said after a while. "She said that his father is going to have Preston interred with his grandmother. She said that Preston's parents can't handle the thought of a funeral or anything like that right now," he added softly.

"I can understand that," Lorena replied.

"I'd told him when he first got sick, that when he got better that I'd bring him here to meet you guys. He really wanted to meet you," he added with a wan smile. Lorena smiled at that.

"Are you going to visit him? When you feel up to it?" she hastily added. Bart nodded. "I'd like to come with you if that's okay?"

"I'd appreciate that," Bart replied. They sat in silence for a while longer before the fog rolled in and obscured the view. In the lounge, Connor came over to them with a proposition.

"In Hawai'i, it's tradition to float a lei in memory of someone who has passed away," he explained. "I was wondering if you could find out what Preston's friends favourite flowers were…"

"And you'd make a lei?" Bart finished. Connor nodded. "Preston liked sunflowers," Bart offered. "And I'm partial to orchids."

"Gimme a list and I'll get it made for you," Connor said, placing a hand on Bart's shoulder.

"Thanks. I appreciate that," Bart smiled a bit and patted the hand on his shoulder. Bart had the list of flowers in a few days and Connor set about getting them to make the lei. Bart had also emailed his friends in Manchester about holding an informal memorial for their friend. They'd float the lei in the river and then go to have lunch at a nearby restaurant and remember the good times. The sheer volume and variety of flowers meant that Connor's lei had become a wreath. Bart had asked Lorena if she'd join him and after a bit of pestering, she agreed. In Manchester, Bart introduced her and explained how she'd been a much needed friend when he'd needed it. After tossing the wreath into the water and watching it float downstream a ways, the group headed to a nearby restaurant. Carol lagged behind with Lorena and thanked her for being there for Bart.

"Thanks for keeping him informed," Lorena replied. "That can't have been easy."

"No," Carol admitted. "But it was how I coped…I guess," she added. Lorena put an arm around her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze.

"Like Bart's charm bracelet," Lorena offered.

"I was wondering about that," Carol chuckled. Lorena explained the charm bracelet and the two girls laughed as they trailed behind the others. Bart heard them and dropped back to join them. Lorena had been worried that she'd be intruding upon Bart and his friends in their time of grief, but lunch had been all laughter and smiles. They shared stories of Preston and discussed their own lives. Afterwards Bart took Lorena to the cemetery where Preston now rested with his grandmother.

"Hey Preston," Bart greeted the headstone. "I know I said I'd take you to San Francisco to introduce the Titans to you…but that damn cancer decided to screw everyone over." Lorena reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. Bart squeezed back and cast a quick glance at her before continuing. "So even though the deal was; you get better and I let you meet them. I decided to bring Lorena along to a wake we just had for you…you'd have liked it. It was fun," he whispered. Lorena held him as his emotions ran riot for a few minutes, before he pulled back a bit.

"It gets tolerable," Lorena offered.

"I know," he replied softly. "Anyway…Preston, this is Lorena. Lorena you'd have gotten a kick out of Preston."

Stepping towards the headstone, Lorena laid a rose she'd brought with her. "I'm sorry we have to meet like this," she murmured softly. "Thank you for being Bart's first true friend." She stepped back to stand beside Bart who was scrubbing tears from his eyes. "Ready?" she asked.

"Definitely," he replied, picking her up and racing west towards Titans Tower.

Bart retired to his room to rest while Lorena went in search of Connor. "It was a beautiful gesture and everyone loved the wreath," she told him, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

"I'm glad it went over so well," Connor replied. "Where's Bart?"

"As light hearted as the wake was, it was still emotionally draining," she explained. "He went to go lay down for while. Think I'll join him," she added as an afterthought. Connor told her that the team was thinking of getting take out for dinner and asked what she wanted them to bring back for her. "Cassie knows all my faves from the usual places," Lorena smirked. With that she went off to get some rest.

As she passed Bart's door she heard the strangest sounds from the other side. It took her a moment before she realised what she was hearing. Knocking to announce herself, she opened the door and spied Bart at his computer. "Weddell seals?" she asked, perplexed.

"Preston always wanted to get a contract to go and work as a videographer in Antarctica," Bart said as Lorena came to stand beside him. "He said he wanted to hear the seals for himself."

"They are something else," Lorena concurred. "Tripped me out the first time I heard them."

Bart leaned back in his chair and looked up at Lorena. "I had been thinking that his idea was real cool…even before he got sick, and considered trying to get a work contract myself."

"You?" she laughed. "Hang up the boots and loaf around Antarctica?" Bart frowned at her and she shook her head. "Sorry, but I never thought you'd opt for taking it easy," she admitted.

Bart shrugged. "I guess not," he sighed. "But the idea of wanting to go down there and do something other than the superhero thing has always intrigued me." Lorena rested her hip against his desk and folded her arms across her chest. Taking it as a sign to continue, Bart did. "Maybe I'll do the videographer thing in his stead?"

"Three months filming seals? Actually that would be interesting," Lorena said.

"The contract for filming is a sixteen month one," Bart corrected. "I'll think on it."

When Bart turned eighteen, he sent in an application to work as the videographer for a group of research scientists studying the seals. In the year and a half leading up to his birthday, Bart had gone around the world to film wildlife, taking Lorena along on several of the trips, as he built up a portfolio for the researchers to consider. Bart won the contract. Lorena hugged him at the airport before he headed through to get on a plane to New Zealand, and then onto Antarctica. Two weeks later and Bart was lying on the ice, his ear pressed to it to hear the seals. On his first dive he was face to face with a female seal singing her alien song. He smiled as a thought came to mind as he followed the seal through the water with his lens.

"Preston said to say hi."


End file.
